The present invention relates to a medical treatment arrangement having at least three device parts, with the first device part being a device part not adapted for the treatment of a patient and with the second device part being adapted in conjunction with the third device part such that a treatment of a patient can be carried out with them.
Dialyzers are known from the prior art in which the dialysis fluid is not manufactured during a treatment, but in which rather the total amount of dialysis fluid required for a dialysis treatment is provided in a tank prior to the treatment. Dialyzers of this type are also called “batch-type” dialyzers.
To fill the dialyzer with treatment fluid, it is conceivable to move said treatment fluid to the dialyzer by means of a mobile apparatus comprising a tank or any other container and to transfer the tank contents to the dialyzer so that the treatment of the patient is carried out using the treatment fluid. It is further conceivable in this respect that the tank or the other container of the mobile apparatus is previously filled with the treatment fluid from a filling station.
It is the underlying object of the present invention to enable a smooth interaction of the individual device parts with such a medical treatment arrangement comprising a plurality of device parts.
This object is satisfied by a medical treatment arrangement having the features of claim 1.
Provision is made in this respect that the second device part is made movable relative to the first device part and relative to the third device part and that the first and second device parts and/or the second and third device parts are made such that energy and/or data can be unidirectionally or bidirectionally exchanged between them.
It is thus possible, for example, for the initially named, non-restrictive example of a batch-type dialyzer that the second device part is a mobile apparatus having a tank or the like by means of which treatment fluid can be brought to the third device part, that is, to the dialyzer. With respect to the initially named embodiment, the first device part, which does not serve the treatment of the patient, can be a filling station and/or emptying station (in the following in part also only called a filling station) by means of which the tank of the second device part can be filled or emptied as desired.
Provision is now made in accordance with the invention that an exchange of data and/or of energy is possible between these device parts.
This has the advantage that, for example, information on the filling of the tank of the second device part can be stored, for example, in the second device part or in its tank and these data can then be read out from the third device part, that is, by the treatment device in accordance with the above embodiment. In this case, the second device part serves as a data transfer device between the first and third device parts.
The term “tank” is to be given a broad interpretation within the framework of the present invention and includes any container serving the reception of a fluid.
Provision is made in a preferred embodiment of the invention that the first device part and/or the third device part are made as immobile or substantially immobile. However, this is not absolutely necessary. If, for example, the third device part is a dialyzer, provision can be made that it is optionally also made as mobile. This also applies to other embodiments of the third device part.
Provision is preferably further made that the second device part is made as mobile and in particular has rollers, rolls or the like by means of which it can be moved. If the second device part is, for example, a mobile apparatus comprising a tank, the transfer of the treatment fluid from a filling station to a treatment device can be carried out by means of this mobile apparatus which can be moved by a user. It is generally also conceivable that the second device part is made as portable. This can, for example, be the case in peritoneal dialysis or also in the case of infusion devices in which the volumes of the fluid are comparatively small as a rule and the second device part can therefore also easily be made as portable.
Parallel to this transfer of the treatment fluid, it is conceivable that energy and/or data are additionally transferred, that is, that the second device part serves as an energy and/or data store and/or as an energy and/or data transfer device.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that the second device part is adapted in conjunction with the third device part such that a blood treatment process, in particular a dialysis process, in particular hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, can be carried out with them. These are, however, only examples in this respect. The following invention is not restricted to these treatment processes.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that at least one of the device parts, preferably a plurality of device parts or all device parts of the medical treatment arrangement, are designed such that the data transfer and/or the energy transfer takes place in a wireless or wired manner.
It is, for example, conceivable that a data transfer and/or an energy transfer takes place by induction. It is equally possible to transfer data and energy by a mechanical connection, for example by a cable or by an electrical plug connection or the like. It is thus conceivable, for example, that the first device part, that is, the filling station, for example, transfers or transmits energy wirelessly via induction or via a releasable electrical connection to the second device part which stores it in an accumulator, for example, or in a corresponding other technical apparatus for the storing of energy (capacitors).
It is conceivable that at least one of the device parts is made such that the transfer of data and energy are/is exchanged at the same time and/or by means of the same device. It is conceivable that a transponder system is particularly preferably configured such that data and energy are exchanged over the same system at the same time. This takes place wirelessly in a preferred embodiment, and preferably inductively.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that the second device part has a separate energy supply, in particular an accumulator, and/or has a separate memory for the storage of data.
It is, however, also conceivable that the second device part does not have a separate energy supply and/or that the second device part has one or more non-volatile memories for the storage of data. The second device part, which is preferably made as a mobile apparatus, can thus also be made without an internal energy supply. The dates can be stored in non-volatile memories in this embodiment.
The second device part can transmit data wirelessly, for example, via a transponder system to the first device part and/or to the third device part and also receive data wirelessly from it or them. This represents a preferred embodiment of the invention. A wired transfer is naturally also conceivable instead of or in addition to a wireless transfer.
It is thus conceivable, for example, that the second device part transfers energy wirelessly via induction or via a releasable electrical connection to the first device part and/or to the third device part.
Provision is made in an exemplary embodiment that a separate energy supply of the second device part is charged and/or that data are exchanged between a second and a third device part, with provision preferably being made that the second device part serves as a mobile wireless data store.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that the second device part has means by means of which an emergency energy supply of the first and/or third device parts takes place by means of the second device part in the event of a failure of the energy supply of the first and/or third device parts. It is thus therefore conceivable that the second device part supports the existing individual energy supply for the bridging of power failures of the first or third device parts which can be made, for example, as a filling station or as a treatment device. This can take place, for example, by a releasable electrical connection (plug-to-socket) or wirelessly via an inductive energy transfer. This situation can arise with longer term power failures. An acute situation, for example after an accident, is also conceivable, for example.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that the second device part has a memory in which treatment data relating to the treatment of the patient and/or data relating to elements inserted into the second device part and/or into the third device part, preferably disposables such as bags or other containers, filters, hose systems, treatment cassettes are storable or stored. It is thus conceivable, for example, that the second device part receives data on treatment parameters of the upcoming treatment from the third device part.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that means are provided which are made such that data stored in the second device part such as treatment data, for example, and/or data relating to inserted disposables or other components of the device parts are transmitted to the first or third device parts when brought near or coupled to them or also that a transmission of data takes place in the opposite direction. The data can then be processed further there either directly or can be forwarded, for example, via a network connection to a central control device such as a central processing unit.
It is thus conceivable, for example, that data are transferred to the first device part, which can be made as a filling station and/or emptying station, for example, on approaching the second device part and are processed further there either directly or are forwarded to a central control device (central processing unit) via the named network connection.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that test means are provided which are made such that the data transmitted by the second device part to the first or third device parts are subjected to a test. It is, for example, conceivable that the first device part, which is preferably made as a filling station, or a central control unit decides on the filling of the tank or bag (quantity and composition) into the second device part with reference to the transmitted data and, for example, passes on changed treatment parameters to the second device part as required if e.g. an expert system in the first device part or in the remote control device associated therewith arrives at different treatment parameters after evaluation of the transmitted data.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that the medical treatment arrangement has decision means which are made such that a decision is made with reference to the result of the test carried out in the test means as to whether a treatment is carried out or not. It is thus conceivable that, for example, the first device part or a preferably remote control device associated therewith refuses the filling of the second device part after evaluation of the transmitted data and thus makes a treatment impossible if it is found that, for example, an unsuitable disposable was placed in the second device part or also in the third device part.
This can be the case, for example, if, for example, a previously already used bag or disposable is used or if bags or disposables are intended to be used which are unsuitable because they are, for example, too small, incorrectly made or have otherwise unsatisfactory properties.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that disposables are inserted in the second device part and/or in the third device part which are provided with readable markings or the like.
It is not only conceivable in this manner to carry out an identification of the disposables, for instance such as to the size and the content which is to be or has been filled in, but also to detect third-party makes or the lack of features, which indicate the use of copies or third-party makes.
The first device part or a control device which is associated with it and can be arranged remotely can in this case refuse the filling and can transmit a blocking signal to the second device part which signals to the third device part that the treatment may not be started when the second device part approaches or is coupled to the third device part.
These markings can, for example, be two-dimensional matrices or RFID tags. All further suitable markings such as barcodes are also conceivable.
It is thus conceivable to provide original disposables with unforgeable markings which identify both the type and the specimen and are made known to the first device part, preferably the filling station or a remote control device associated therewith. It can thus be recognized whether original disposables are being used and whether they are unused.
Furthermore, dates of expiry can also be checked in this way to avoid the use of disposables having been stored too long. As stated, the markings can be made in a variety of forms such as a barcode, 2D, RF, etc.
A further embodiment of the present invention relates to the confusion-proof identity of the individual device parts.
It is preferred that the first device part and/or the second device part and/or the third device part has/have marks, preferably electronic labels, by means of which the respective device parts themselves and/or the belonging of a device part to another device part can be identified. It is, for example, conceivable in the initially named embodiment that the treatment station (third device part), the movable trolley (second device part) and, optionally, also the filling station (first device part) have unambiguous features, preferably via electronic labels, which are made known to the respective other device or device part. It can in this way be prevented that, for example, a filled trolley (second device part) is associated with an incorrect treatment unit (third device part).
The electronic label or also any other suitable marking can be made in a similar manner to the markings of the disposables. However, the trolley filling and treatment stations or the first, second and/or third device parts preferably also transmit individual identification codes by which an unambiguous association is possible in the wired communication.
It is possible in this manner that those device parts cooperate for which this is also provided.
Provision is made in a further embodiment that the first device part and/or the second device part and/or the third device part has/have one or more indication and/or input devices, in particular displays. No restrictions are present with respect to the type of the displays. The can, for example, be TFT (LCD), OLED or e-paper displays.
It is thus conceivable, for example, that the second device part, in particular a movable trolley for the purpose of information indication, is provided with a display and/or with other optical, acoustic or haptic signal displays. This applies accordingly to the other device parts.
The signal indications or displays can, as stated, include all types of displays. Input apparatus, such as a keyboard or a touch screen, can furthermore be provided. It is conceivable in this respect that the touch screen and the display device are formed by one and the same component.
If it is an electronic display (e-paper), this provides the advantage that a trolley or the second device part can also be made without an internal energy store since the indication of the display is also maintained without a power supply. The operator can thus also read off the information when the trolley or the second device part is not located in the first or third device parts, that is, in accordance with a preferred embodiment, not in the filling station unit and/or in the treatment unit.
The data and/or energy transmission in accordance with the invention preferably takes place inductively in accordance with known processes. For this purpose, the transmitter has a transmission coil which emits a magnetic alternating field. The receiver can have a reception coil in which an electric alternating voltage is induced if it is in the field of the transmission coil. This AC voltage is rectified at the receiver and, dependent on the embodiment, the resulting electrical energy is preferably stored in a rechargeable battery.
The data transmission can take place in a variety of ways in this respect. There can be named by way of example, but not restrictively: frequency modulation, phase modulation, amplitude modulation, frequency pulses. The arrangement of transmission/reception coil is preferably operated by addition of components compensated for idle power (capacitors) in resonance with the transmission frequency to ensure an energy transmission which is as good as possible. Modulation types are therefore preferred in the energy transmission which do not change the frequency of the transmission signal (phase modulation, frequency pulses).
The data transmission from the receiver to the transmitter can take place in a known manner by load modulation. In this respect, the transmission power is primarily modulated at the reception side by addition of a load resistance corresponding to the data content.
As initially stated, the medical treatment arrangement is not restricted to a blood treatment such as to a dialysis treatment, although such a treatment represents a preferred application area of the medical treatment arrangement in accordance with the invention. The use as a dialysis machine, for hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, etc. is, for example conceivable, but also for other medical treatments.
Further details and advantages of the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing.
The embodiments relate to three variants of the treatment arrangement in accordance with the invention, with the disposable being made with a 2D matrix in the first variant (
In the second variant in accordance with
In the third variant in accordance with
There are shown:
A bag 21 is located in the trolley 20 and is made with a 2D label 22 so that the bag type and the bag contents are clearly identifiable. In the embodiment shown here, a data transmission thus takes place from the bag to the filling station via a 2D matrix.
As soon as the trolley 20 has been introduced into the filling station 10 or has approached it, a reading and/or writing process takes place, and indeed unidirectionally or also bidirectionally between the trolley 20 and the filling station 10. Apart from this, a charging process can also occur, for example of an accumulator of the trolley 20 by the filling station 10.
The trolley 20 can have, in addition to an energy store, a data store and/or an electronic system for the evaluation of data.
The energy store can be charged inductively, for example, by the filling station 10 and also by the treatment device 30. It is also conceivable that energy is transferred from the energy store of the trolley 20 to the filling station 10 and/or to the treatment device 30.
These aforesaid processes can take place by inductive coupling or magnetoinductively.
The same applies accordingly to the communication or to the energy exchange between the trolley 20 and the treatment device 30, as is likewise indicated in
The filling station 10 and the treatment device 30 can preferably be made as immobile or substantially immobile and are in any case intended for a fixed-position use. The case is, however, generally also covered by the invention that these units are also movable, as also applies to the trolley 20.
The term “filling station” must therefore be given a wide interpretation. It can relate both to the filling process and to the emptying process.
A breakable bag pin is marked by the reference numeral 230 in accordance with
In a further alternative or additionally conceivable embodiment, the measurement of the conductivity of the bag contents is provided. Concentrates can be stored in the unused bag which are dissolved in the filling station 10 on the filling with RO water. A solution is thus set with a characteristic conductivity which changes by mass transfer by the use in the treatment device 30, for example during a dialysis treatment. The filling station 10 checks the conductivity of the filled bag and recognizes, if the bag was not emptied in the filling station 10 after a prior use and is provided for re-use in a prohibited manner, that no concentrates which characteristically change the conductivity were present in the bag. A conclusion on re-use is thus made and further measures can be taken to prevent the treatment with this re-used bag. Such measures are, for example, the emptying in the filling station 10, the generation of a warning signal or of another alarm signal, the marking of the bag, etc.
The data transmitted between the device parts of the present invention can generally be any desired information, for example treatment data, patient data, device data, device component data, etc. It is, for example, conceivable that the transmitted information relates to the composition of the concentrates or of the finished solution.
Provision is made in a preferred embodiment of the invention that the trolley 20 has a display in which the data for the user are visibly shown which are stored in a memory unit of the trolley. This display can, for example, be an e-paper, which brings along the advantage that a reading of the data is also possible when the trolley 20 does not have its own energy supply.
The trolley 20 filled by means of the filling station 10 or the filled tank or bag of the trolley 20 is then moved with the trolley 20 to the treatment device 30 and connected to it, as can be seen from
As can further be seen from
In the example shown, the trolley 20 carries the information, after the end of the treatment, that the bag is full and is used.
The container of the trolley 20 filled with the used dialysis fluid is then moved with the trolley 20 to the filling station 10 which serves the emptying of the tank in this case (cf.
In this respect, the display of the trolley 20 shows the data which were stored on the trolley. In this respect, for example, it can be the data which were transferred from the treatment device 30 to the trolley 20.
Subsequently, in accordance with
In this embodiment, the communication between the filling station and the trolley and also between the trolley and the treatment unit takes place magnetoinductively, as can be seen from
In accordance with
The bag is then filled by the filling station 10 in accordance with
In accordance with
The trolley 20 filled with the used dialysis solution is then moved to the filling station 10 (cf.
As in the first embodiment, the bag change in accordance with steps 1 and 2 follows this, with the used bag 1 being replaced by a fresh bag 2 in accordance with step 1.
In contrast to the two first embodiments, provision is made in the third embodiment that the trolley 20 does not have its own energy store in this embodiment and the display of stored data takes place via an e-paper display. A use of a trolley with its own energy store is, however, generally also conceivable in this embodiment. Energy is needed once for the writing of an e-paper and for the writing/reading of non-volatile memories (e.g. EEPROM). Once the process of the state change of the display or of the memory or memories is ended, no further energy is required to keep the state stable. It is essential for the third embodiment that the trolley 20 in this embodiment does not have its own energy store.
The trolley 20 in this embodiment is made with an RFID tag 24 which is readable and writable. Data of the RFID tag can be shown on the display of the trolley 20.
It results from
Otherwise, the device parts correspond to the embodiment in accordance with
In accordance with
The trolley 20 is subsequently moved to the treatment device 30 and connected to it, as can be seen from
If the trolley data are in order, the treatment is released. The data relating to the treatment are then transferred to the trolley immediately after the treatment, as can be seen from
In accordance with
The corresponding data are then immediately transferred to the trolley 20 in accordance with
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
10 2010 022 201.1 | May 2010 | DE | national |
This is a national stage of PCT/EP11/002532 filed May 20, 2011 and published in German, which has a priority of German no. 10 2010 022 201.1 filed May 20, 2010, hereby incorporated by reference.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2011/002532 | 5/20/2011 | WO | 00 | 11/20/2012 |